Hey there!
Hope your weekend is going well and you have had some time to chill.
Here’s what I have for you today.
on Exams and Recalibration. I love the metaphor of exams and since it is something that has affected most of us who grew up in the Indian education system, I think this will help you look at modern-day examinations differently and productively.
on Tantrums and Zero Progress. What do you do when you just wanna give up? When you think you are doing the right things but nothing’s happening?!?!
on Indecipherable Things. What's indecipherable to me today might click in my head in a year or five. And create a paradigm shift. Along with 2 quotes - one from Dave Draper on attitude and one from Jim Collins on leadership.
on Exams and Recalibration
Exams and School
Growing up in our educational system, the exams were the climactic moment of our lives. If things went well, what a relief! You could walk around with relief, you did not have to worry about watching extra TV or grumpy parents or being arm-twisted into studying more. If things did not go well, argh, the annoyance of it all. The extra classes, the extra glares from the teachers, the stamp of idiot student, the curtailing of freedom at home - the world came crashing down.
And these blasted things would repeat multiple times a year. To top it all, there was a ranking system too, so you knew exactly how terrible you were.
The exams were always purported to be the climax. It did not matter if you learned anything. It came down to what your number on the blasted paper was, and on the blue cardboard thing aka the report card.
Benchmarks and Challenges
At the gym, the testing day of your training plan is akin to the exam. It is the climax of that particular training cycle. If you are on a deadlift program, this was the day you attempted to set a new personal record (PR). Or see where your 5k is at. Or whatever the appropriate challenge or benchmark is.
Initially, my brain mapped these benchmarks to exams. But then, I grew wiser.
Because even with a great training ethic, there were times when my benchmarks sucked. I did not set that PR that my training log indicated I was heading towards. I let the pressure and expectation get to me.
But instead, what happened were other random days when I felt like pushing extra, outside of the plan, coz the bar was flying. And PRs were set. This seemed to happen in the morning after a night of poor sleep and/or too much alcohol consumption.
That made no sense. And that gave me the liberty to relax.
Today, more often than not, the benchmarks and challenges and exams go as per plan. Because I am a lot more calm and relaxed about it. Because I do not have any expectations or pressure.
With that came a simple realisation.
Sandbox
The exam is not the climax. The exam is simply meant to be a place of assessment and understanding. That's it. As simple as that.
If your exam went well, then your prep is on track. Your technique is solid, the amount of work you are putting in is ample. If your exam goes poorly, that means you need to dig deeper into your prep. Do you need to improve your deadlifting technique? Do you need to spend more time on fundamentals? Do you need to rest more? It could be anything.
But that's all it is. An assessment. A place to recalibrate. And update the plan for the next few weeks.
A better plan = a better result. Almost always. And if not, shit happens. Tweak the plan. Keep showing up.
on Tantrums and Zero Progress
You are eating well. You are getting your vegetables and limiting the processed foods. And yet, the waist does not reduce!
You love your job and are great at it. But work keeps accumulating and the pandemic keeps throwing curveballs at you. How many can you keep dodging and solving?!
You've made it a habit of getting an activity. And you are starting to love it, and how you feel after doing it. But it is bringing along niggles and aches and blisters and such. And the blasted waist is still not reducing?!!?
It is okay to get annoyed and angry and feel helpless and throw a tantrum. Get it out of your system.
But what's next? That's the crucial part. That is going to determine long-term success. You have to look ahead and plan for the next week and month.
If you think what you are doing is working, well, the waist should come down. Or whatever it is you have identified as the one thing to measure. If that is not progressing in the right direction, you don't have to throw everything out and start again.
But you do need to take a closer look at your methods and assumptions. Maybe you need to calorie count for a week or two. Maybe you need to up your activity levels. Make a change, observe the outcomes and see if that gets things moving in the right direction.
Getting frustrated is absolutely fine. Wanting to punch a wall and/or scream in annoyance - all okay. Get it out of your system.
But at the end of it, your first job is to plan the next step. Breathe. Compose yourself. And take a look at things.
Remember, you are not going through this alone. Everyone around you is if that makes you feel any better. But it is up to you.
You cannot control the outcome. But you control the probability of the outcome you want. So, figure it out. That part - the figuring out - only you control.
It doesn't mean you have to be a lone warrior and it is you against the world. Your community, your friends, your family - all can play a role. But you have to keep your eye on the ball and be honest. If things are not moving in the way you want, you have to figure it out and change it up.
So, get that tantrum out of you and let's do this!
Profound/Obvious/Indecipherable
What's profound to me is obvious to you.
What's indecipherable to me today might click in my head in a year or five. And create a paradigm shift.
I guess that's why the proverb goes that way - when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
And sometimes, when I think/wish I had read that mind-blowing piece of text in my 20s, I do wonder. There's a good chance I didn't have the mental capacity to process it back then. I needed my failures to get ready for them to make sense.
Not one thing about a workout is less than exciting, except your attitude toward it.
How can a thing that offers so much, provides so much goodness and hope and exhilaration and esteem be dismal? Where’s the logic or smart thinking in that appraisal?
– Dave Draper
The function of leadership - the number one responsibility of a leader - is to catalyse a clear and shared vision for the company and to secure commitment to and vigorous pursuit of that vision.
– Jim Collins and Bill Lazier
And that’s it from me for this week. Thank you for spending some of your time over here and I will see you next weekend!
Feb 20, 2022